Edward barrath



(No Model.)

BBARRATH. a

SHEET METAL CAN.

No. 507,307. Patented Oct. 24, 1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD BARRATH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE VICTOR KEY-.OPENING CAN AND MACHINERY COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SHEET-METAL CAN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,307, dated October24, 1893.

ApplicationiiledJune 16, 1893.

.To @ZZ whom it 'may concern.-

Beit known that I, EDWARD BARBATE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Metal Cans, (CaseNo. 6,) of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

My invention relates to sheet metal cans, and, more particularly, to theclass designated as key-opening sheet metal cans, in which a free lip isprovided adapted to be grasped to remove a portion of the metal ofthecan.

, The object of my invention is to produce a key-opening can in which aportion of the cover with a width greater than that ot' the free lip maybe removed along lines positively determined in the construction of thecan, and Without liability of tearing the cover along lines notpredetermined.

My invention consists, first, in a can provided with a free lip upon thecover thereof, and with lines of reduced strength extending from theedges of said free lip to oblique lines of increased strength, wherebythe shape of the portion of the cover removed may be determined by theposition of the lines of increased strength.

My invention consists, second, in a method of strengthening portions ofthe sheet metal of which a can may be made, which method consists,rst,'in throwing up by means of dies an interior portion of metal toform an interior raised portion, and then flattening said raised portionby means of fiat dies, whereby the edges of said raised portion arecaused to overlap to form a fold of triple thickness in the metal of acontour corresponding to the contour of the raised portion of metal.

My invention consists, third, in such details of construction as willhereinafter be described.

Heretofcre it has been proposed to` form key-opening sheet metal cans sothat a portion of the cover can be removed by weakening the cover alonglines extending from the edges of the free lip, toward the interior por-5o tion of the cover, the lines of reduced strength then diverging,whereby a portion of the tion of thecover torn away. Fig.

Serial No. 477.823. (No model.)

cover,greater in width than the width of the free lip, may be remov/ed.Such a construction is described in Letters Patent No. 449,136, grantedto Frederick Reiset and Gustave A. Waeber. A difliculty I have found inconnection with cans, as thus constructed, is that when the cover hasbeen torn along the lines of reduced strength until that point isreached where said lines begin to diverge rather abruptly, the lines oftear instead of following the weakened portions, continue more or lessin their established directions, and tear into the unweakened portion ofthat part it is desired to remove.

By my invention I am enabled to dispense with all weakened lines exceptthose extending from the edges of the free lip to the point Where it isdesired that the lines of tear should begin to diverge, and even thesein some cases might be dispensed with, and in place thereof, I providelines of increased strength forming oblique abutments with which thelines of tear come in contact and by means of which said lines of tearare deflected, following the edges of said lines of increased strength.y

My invention will be more readily understood by reference 'to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a top view of a canembodying my invention.V Fig. 2 is a partial side view thereof. Fig. 3is a top view of the can illustrated in Fig. 1 showing the removableporet is a modication of my invention, in which the lines of increasedstrength are formed by operating upon several distinct portions of thecover. Fig. 5 is a modification of my invention, in which two parallellines of increased strength are formed on the cover between which thetear is adapted to be made. Fig. 6 is a modification illustrating aconstruction whereby the entire top of the cover is adapt` ed to beremoved. Fig. 7 is a modification in which the lines of increasedstrength are formed by forming a ridge in the metal and securing ametallic wire in the same. Figs. 8, 9, l0, are-sectional views of thecan cover on line ca -0c of Fig. l, illustrating the different steps inthe formation of the lines of increased strength. Figs. 1l, 12, 13, aresectional views on line y-y Fig. 5, illustrating IOC las

the different steps in the formation of the lines of increased strengthas illustrated in said ligure. Figs. 14 and 15 are sectional views uponline z-z, Fig. 5, illustrating the different formation steps. Fig. 16 isa sectional view upon line o--U, Fig. 7.

`Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several figures.

The can cover is provided with a free lip a which extends beyond theedge of the rim and which may be grasped by a key, b, to remove theremovable portion of the cover. Extendingr from the edges of said lipare lines of reduced strength a', a2, which extend as far as the linesof increased strength c c2. When it is desired to open the can the lip ais grasped by a key b and a pull is exerted thereon causing the cover totear along the lines of reduced strength a' a2 until the lines ofincreasedV strength c', c2 are reached,when the lines of tear willfollow said lines c c2 until that part of the cover isreached at whichsaid lines c c2 are farthest apart, when the lines of tear will continuealong some such lines as c3 c4. y

The key I preferably use is illustrated in Fig. 1, and consists of awire bent upon itself,

the ends of the wire being bent at right anglesto theremaining portionto form a handle. In using the key, the lip ais passed between the"parallel portions of the key, after which said key is given a slightrolling motion,`whereby the lip is rolled upon the same. A firmconnection between the key and theA lip being thus established theremovable portion of the cover may he either rolled upon the key or tornaway from the remainder'of the cover byasimple'pulling movement.

The lines of increased strength may be formed in a variety of ways. Themethod I prefer, however, consists in forming a fold of triple thicknessin the metal, as I will now proceed to describe. In forming the cover Ipreferably rst form the rim around the same, as shown in Fig. 8. Thecover is then placedbetween a set of dies and an interior portion of thesame is thrown up, asillus-` trated in Fig. 9, the thrown up portionbeing provided with vertical sides. The next operation consists inpressing back the thrown upportion bymeans of a pair of iiat dies,during which operation the vertical sides of the thrown up portionarecaused to buckle outward, `the result being, as shown. in Fig. 10,.afold of triple thickness surrounding the por-` tion of the cover thatwas in the first place" thrown up. The contour of the thrown np portionmay be varied to suit the requirements of any particular case. In Fig.1,"I` have illustrated the thrown up portion as circular in generaloutline, the sides to which the weakened lines extend forming tangentsto the remainder of the curve so that the weakened lines extending fromthe edges of the' free lip may meet the lines of increased strengthobliquely.

In Fig. t the lines of increased strength are formed by throwing upportions of the cover separately. Thus the portions d d are formedobliquely to the lines of reduced strength, thus determining the widthof the portion that will be torn away, while the portions d2 d3 areformed obliquely in a reverse` direction and extend somewhat farther tothe side so that the lines of tear will be so directed that a spoonshaped opening will result.

`In Fig. 5 the strengthened portion is formed b y throwing up a channelof horseshoe shape and then pressing the raised portion back `again toform two parallel triple folds. In order that the fold may not be formedat the ends of the channel said ends are thrown up at an angle, as shownin Fig. 12, so that when the raised portion is pressed down the `metalis merely pressed back to place without forming a fold, as would haveresulted if the ends had been thrown up vertically. The lines of reducedstrength are extended from the edges of the free lip to apositionbetween the two lines of increased strength, so that when the `free lipis grasped the lines of tear followl the weakened lines so far as theyextend and are then guided by the parallel lines of increased fstrength.`Inthis construction the shape of theportion torn away will bedetermined by the shape of thechannel which is in the first `placethrown up.

As will be seen `from the drawings `my inivention is susceptible of manymodifications in matters of detail,l and I do not therefore wish to belimited to specific constructions, rbut desire to claim the inventionbroadly.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is

1. In a key-opening can, thecombination `with a free lip, of divergentlines of increased @,strength, and lines of lesser strength extendingfrom theedgesfof said .free lip and abutting against said divergentlines, thereby causing' the lines of Atear following said lines oflesser strength to diverge on reaching said divergent lines of increasedstrength,substan tially as described.

. 2.-In a key-openingcan, the combination `with verging lines ofincreased strength, of la free lip, and lines of tear extending frommthe edges of said free lip and abutting against said verging lines,thereby causing the .lines of tear to verge upon meeting said verginglines of increased strength, substantially as described.

g 3. In a key-opening can, the combination with oblique lines" ofincreased strength formed bya fold of triple thickness in the Lmetal ofsaid can, of a free lip, and lines` ofA reduced strength coextensivewith the' edges of said lip and extending toward said lines of increasedstrength, substantially as described.

4. The herein described method of forming i.

affold of triple thickness in metal plate, which consists in firstthrowing up a portionv of the IOO IKO

interior metal thereof to forma raised portion having sidesapproximately perpendicular to said plate, and then pressing said raisedportion back again,thereby causingsaid perpendicular sides to buckle andform a foldiof triple thickness in the metal, substantially asdescribed. Y

5. The herein described method of forming lines of increased strength inmetal plate, which consists in throwing up a portion of the metal andthen pressing the same back again, thereby stretching the metal boundingsaid raised portion and causing the same to buckle, substantially asdescribed.

6. The herein described method of forming lines of increased strength inmetal plate, which consistsin throwing up an interior portion of thesame so that the sides of said thrown-up portion may be perpendicular tothe surface of the plate at points where it is desired to produce linesof increased strength, and oblique thereto at points where it is desirednot to produce such lines, and then pressing said thrown-up portionback, therebyY causing said perpendicular sides to buckle and form afold While said oblique sides are pressed back intoA their formerpositions without forming folds, substantially as described.

7. In a key-opening can, the combination with -lines of tear extendingfrom the edges of afree lip, of lines of increased strength placedobliquely in the paths of said lines of tear,A thereby causing saidlines oftearto follow the direction ofsaid lines of increased strength,substantially as described.

8. In a key-opening can, the combination with a line of lesser strength,of a line of increased strength placed obliquely in the path 4of saidline of lesser strength, thereby detlecting a line of tear followingsaid line of lesser strength, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 2d day of May, A.D. 1893.

' EDWARD BARRATH. Witnesses:

CHARLES O. JOHNSON, W. OLYDE JoNEs.

